Shropshire war gaming company raises thousands in crowd-funding campaign

After launching a crowd-funding campaign to raise £3,700 the total is now more than £66,000 after just a week.

Antenocitis Workshop, based in Wem, produces scenery, vehicles and models for science fiction fans all over the world as part of the hugely successful interest in wargaming.

Run by Jed Norton and wife Nadine, the company has been going for 10 years and was hoping to raise some extra cash as a way to launch a new range of products and decided to start a crowd-funding campaign.

The campaign allows people to donate any amount of money to the cause through a website, similar to JustGiving, but were promised some of the new products depending on the size of their donation.

Mr Norton said: "Well we got past the £3,700 mark in about three seconds, and then £15,000 after two minutes.

"After about an hour we had more than £25,000. We thought we might have to change plans after that.

"We've had to limit the amount of pledges made so we knew we could produce the items and get them over in time."

The company uses 3D printing, laser cutting and all sorts on in-house technology to produce the different wargaming items – from vehicles and sets to characters and extras like barrels and crates to add to the scenery.

And the profits from the crowd-funding will be going towards a higher quality 3D printer as well as further investment into the company with the campaign ending later this week.

Mr Norton said the fundraiser, launched on website Kickstarter, allowed the company to release the products way before they would have normally been able to – the lump sum allowing them to buy in the raw products.

"We also bought another laser cutter," said Mr Norton. "It meant we could produce more of the products and release more in return for pledges.

"It has been absolutely fantastic."

And with an international mailing list, backers have pledged money from all over the world as far afield as Indonesia, Canada and Japan.

Mr Norton said: "As its been so successful we are now going to invest in more laser systems which should allow the Kickstarter to grow even more.

"Eighty per cent of pledges were made from American and Canada, the wargaming community has grown so much over the past few years.

"It used to be one person carving by hand to produce figures, but now it is much bigger than that.

"I think it has become less geeky, people enjoy the games and it seems that whenever a computer game comes out then a tabletop version comes out too.

"It's interactive, and there are so many actions you can have with each character. It's also the fact that you're playing a real life person so you don't know how they are going to react or how they will play next."

For more information about the company and its campaign, visit www.antenocitisworkshop.com or www.kickstarter.com/projects/2097161002/forward-base-sci-fi-scenery-for-infinity-wargamers